Chawkbazar fire brought under control after 12 hours, four firefighters fall ill

A fire at Manjur Khan Plaza Market in Chawkbazar, Old Dhaka, was brought under control at 5:20am today (13 October), nearly 12 hours after it broke out. However, the Fire Service and Civil Defence said more time was needed to fully extinguish the fire and ensure safety.

At a briefing at the scene around 11am today, fire service officials said there were no visible flames, but searches inside the building, checks for residual heat and further extinguishing work were still required.

Kazi Nazmuzjaman, assistant director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence's Dhaka division, told The Business Standard that firefighters had faced several challenges. Poor ventilation inside the building made operations difficult, while narrow roads and limited water sources hampered firefighting efforts.

He said there was no active fire inside the building, but more time was needed to ensure it was fully extinguished. An investigation committee is working to determine the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.

According to the Fire Service, it received information about the fire at 5:02pm yesterday (12 October) at the market near Chhoto Katara AC Mosque in Chawkbazar. The first firefighting unit arrived at 5:22pm and began operations.

The sixth floor of the market housed warehouses storing various goods. As their doors and shutters were locked, firefighters struggled to enter and tackle the flames. They had to break the locks and shutters before fighting the fire at its source and in areas where it had spread.

Preliminary information suggested that the fire originated in warehouses storing cosmetics and bags on the sixth floor before spreading to other parts of the building. Lt Col Md Mahmudul Hasan, director of operations and maintenance at the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said narrow roads, structural complexities and the large quantities of goods stored inside the warehouses had hampered firefighting efforts.

A total of 12 firefighting units, including the Special Response Team and Lighting Unit, took part in the operation. Around 150 firefighters, along with volunteers and local residents, helped bring the blaze under control.

Four firefighters fell ill while working in dense smoke and were taken to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. They were identified as Md Zillur Rahman, a firefighter, and Md Nazrul Islam, a leader, both from Palashi Fire Station; Md Maruf, an officer at Siddik Bazar Fire Station; and Md Mahafuzur Haque Majumder, a leader at Khilgaon Fire Station.

Ensuring an adequate water supply was another major challenge. Limited water sources and narrow roads made it difficult to operate water-carrying vehicles. Firefighters worked for hours to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the building.

Goods stored on the sixth floor were damaged, while preliminary assessments indicated comparatively limited damage on the fifth floor. The number of affected shops and warehouses and the total financial losses have yet to be determined.

Several fire extinguishers were seen on the upper floors of the building. However, the investigation will examine whether other fire safety arrangements were in place. No civilian casualties had been reported in the updated account.

Fire service officials said the investigation into the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage was ongoing. The full details of the fire's origin and the losses will be known after the investigation.